21st Century Learning

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1 21st century learning | Future Proofing Schools Introduction 2 Learning 3 Designing today’s schools for tomorrow’s world 4 Building the Education Revolution 4 Basic needs 5 Creativity & the new learning models 5 Integration & connectedness 6 Multi-unit configurations: hubs & learning communities 7 1. 21st century learning Indoor outdoor connections 7 Diversity & difference 8 Furniture & fittings 9 The classroom of the future: technology & learning 10 Supporting technology rich learning spaces 10 Lingering perceptions about relocatable classrooms 11 What educators & students want: research themes 12 User experience: a typical day 14 References & further reading 15 “Today’s reality must not limit tomorrow’s possibilities” “You could learn well in it [a colourful, funky, modern classroom], cos the main reason for kids coming to school is cos it’s comfy and warm and fun, and most kids don’t want to come to school cos they think it’s boring.” [Primary School Student, focus group in WA] Contents >

Transcript of 21st Century Learning

Page 1: 21st Century Learning

121st century learning | Future Proofing Schools

Introduction 2

Learning 3

Designing today’s schools for tomorrow’s world 4

Building the Education Revolution 4

Basic needs 5

Creativity & the new learning models 5

Integration & connectedness 6

Multi-unit configurations: hubs & learning communities 7

1. 21st century learningIndoor outdoor connections 7

Diversity & difference 8

Furniture & fittings 9

The classroom of the future: technology & learning 10

Supporting technology rich learning spaces 10

Lingering perceptions about relocatable classrooms 11

What educators & students want: research themes 12

User experience: a typical day 14

References & further reading 15

“Today’s reality must not limit tomorrow’s possibilities”

“You could learn well in it [a colourful, funky, modern classroom], cos the main reason for kids coming to school is cos it’s comfy and warm and fun, and most kids don’t

want to come to school cos they think it’s boring.” [Primary School Student, focus group in WA]

Contents >

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2 Future Proofing Schools | 21st century learning

Introduction > There are many factors that drive change within education in today’s rapidly changing and increasingly complex world. These include the combined effect of government policy, economic imperatives and social trends along with new technology, sustainability issues and changing pedagogies.

Since the late 18th century we have moved from a production-based, through a service-based, to a knowledge-based economy. The implication of this is that businesses now require agility, creativity, ingenuity and collaboration of their workforce. Educational policy around the world is reflecting these new market demands.

Learning spaces that support the development of these skill sets need to be agile, inspiring, supportive of effective teaching and learning and inclusive of the broader community and other cultural and educational organisations.

This brochure outlines the context and key concepts of 21st century learning as they apply to the design of learning spaces and in particular, relocatable learning spaces.

1] Student art, Buranda Primary School, Qld

2] Primary school classroom

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Learning >What is it?

LearningYoung people learn in various environments and physical locations - in the neighbourhood and in classrooms. They learn when they play, when competing at sport, and through experiencing curriculum materials. Learning experiences are shaped by adults, peers, and access to books, television and the internet. It is also the result of the complex interplay between the child’s body, diet, family life, and degree of security.

Today’s emphasis on collaborative, interdisciplinary and self-directed, personalised learning reflects a much broader and subtler view of learning than the ‘chalk and talk’ alternative. As globalisation and societal changes transform the world we live in, the demands placed on learners and our education system are changing to reflect this. At the same time, our understanding of learning itself is changing.

Scientific observation has

established that education

is not what the teacher

gives; education is a

natural process spontaneously

carried out by the human

individual, and is acquired

not by listening to words

but by experiences upon the

environment.

[Maria Montessori 1947]

1] McKinnon Primary School, Victoria2] Marymede College P-12, Victoria

OLD ASSUMPTIONS NEW ASSUMPTIONS

Learning only happens in classrooms Learning happens everywhereLearning happens at fixed times Learning happens anytimeLearning is an individual activity Learning is very much influenced by the social

environmentWhat happens in classrooms is fairly much the same from class to class & day to day

Differences in course goals & teaching methods from day to day & course to course require purposeful spaces

A classroom always has a front The activity determines classroom configuration Learning demands privacy & removal of distractions eg windows

Openness & stimuli aid learning: windows provide light & a sense of openness

Flexibility can be enhanced by filling rooms with as many chairs as will fit

Movable furniture/equipment is a key factor in adapting spaces to activities & teaching modes

One teacher per class Collaborative teams & team teachingSeparate single classrooms Multiple, reconfigurable, linked learning spaces

[Source: Paraphrased from J.Martin 2005]

Research on learning styles, formative assessment, multiple and

emotional intelligences, constructivism and so on have combined

with the rapid development of technology-enabled, peer-to-peer

self-directed learning to facilitate very different approaches

to the 20 students in rows model. [Higgins et al. 2005]

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Schools today >Old and new

OPPORTUNITY:To design innovative

relocatable learning spaces

that integrate complex and

conflicting briefs into

finely resolved behavioural

settings, which support new

modes of learning.

[Clare Newton 2011]

1] Boys School, Victoria, circa 19202] McKinnon Primary School, Victoria3] Wooranna High School, Victoria | Mary Featherston Design

Designing Today’s Schools For Tomorrow’s WorldMany existing schools are still based on the 18th and 19th century factory model. These schools embody the concepts of conformity, formal teacher-centred, explicit teaching and a hierarchy of subjects. From a physical perspective, the traditional classroom was arranged like an egg crate. This historical model has been associated with an emphasis on control of students and on teacher-centred, lecture-format learning. Today, we look beyond this traditional template of learning to a more interactive, collaborative and inquisitive student-centred approach to learning. However, while pedagogical changes are taking place within the classroom, the design of new learning spaces is only now beginning to catch up.

During the past decade, the academic community has seen a strong emphasis on learning rather than teaching, and new learning spaces must allow for interactive, formal and informal, and peer-to-peer learning experiences. The traditional ‘lesson’ has not been done away with, but is only one of the numerous ways that students will engage in learning. The new learning paradigm necessitates that the entire school be a learning environment rather than a set of rectangular enclaves with a specified number of seats for focussed and approved activities.

Many education departments and school leaders are now promoting new pedagogical practices and require facilities that will enable the new collaborative and experience-based learning approaches to occur.

1. In February 2009 the Australian education and design industries began an intense period of activity and discussion when the Federal Government announced the $42b Nation Building – Economic Stimulus Plan. A major component of the plan was a $16.2b Building the Education Revolution (BER) but the media statements focused on the need to create jobs in response to the Global Financial Crisis. Funds needed to be spent (and workers employed) quickly. There was little time for State education departments to work with architects and schools to design spaces suitable for the rapidly changing education environment. Instead, education departments around Australia were required to offer schools a limited choice of Template designs or ‘shovel ready’ projects which could start on-site within six months of the funding announcement.

Building the Education Revolution [BER]1

The Federal Government’s BER funding focussed on the provision of permanent buildings - many being ‘templates’. However, many schools chose to spend their funding on relocatable classrooms as they were in great need of additional learning spaces and could not afford permanent buildings.

There is a vast array of vintages and models of relocatable classrooms currently in use. Older models are gradually being phased out, but this will take time to complete. One issue this raises is that different models and vintages cannot be easily co-located to create multi-unit learning centres or hubs.

There are many variables around the provision of relocatable classrooms across Australia. These include: climate-related issues; site conditions; locations in suburban, rural and remote communities; transportation; and the availability of skilled labour.

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Many classrooms feature a

speech intelligibility rating

of 75% or less. That means

listeners with normal hearing

can understand only 75% of

the words read from a list.

[Mark Waldecker 2006-08]

Basic NeedsChildren are ready to learn only when basic needs such as food, water, warmth, toilets and security are met. In addition to these basic needs, other qualities are important in an ideal learning environment. These include natural light, thermal comfort, indoor air quality and non-toxic materials.2

A major consideration and concern for both educators and students is acoustics. Many children, notably indigenous children, have both temporary and chronic hearing issues. A child who cannot hear in class will lose interest very quickly.

Good acoustics reduce teacher absenteeism due to vocal fatigue and repeat instruction whilst at the same time, improving attention spans and educational outcomes.

2. See ‘Sustainable school environments’

Creativity & The New Learning Models21st century learning spaces must be agile, able to be easily reconfigured to engage different kinds of learners and teachers, and able to accommodate individual, small group and large group activities.

Current and future economies depend on innovation and creativity, skills that need to be encouraged. For true innovation and creativity to occur, learning spaces should facilitate people working collaboratively across disciplines. Spaces should allow teachers and students to group and regroup and classes to be easily reconfigured (Robinson 2009).

Gardner’s theoretical work in the 1980s was important in that it broadened teachers’ concepts of students’ cognitive abilities to include spatial, linguistic, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinaesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalistic skills. His ‘frames of mind’ or ‘multiple intelligences’ helped educators understand that people have preferred ways of learning, and a variety of skills and talents. Traditionally, schools had mainly focussed on fostering mathematical and literary skills.

In 2007 Gardner outlined five cognitive abilities he believed would need to be cultivated, lead to useable knowledge and be sought by leaders in the future. They are useful guidelines for thinking about education in the 21st century:

• The Disciplinary Mind: the mastery of major schools of thought, including science, mathematics, and history, and at least one professional craft

• The Synthesizing Mind: the ability to integrate ideas from different disciplines or spheres into a coherent whole and to communicate that integration to others

• The Creating Mind: the capacity to uncover and clarify new problems, questions and phenomena

• The Respectful Mind: awareness of and appreciation for differences among human beings and human groups

• The Ethical Mind: fulfilment of one’s responsibilities as a worker and as a citizen.

I believe that the school

is primarily a social

institution... I believe

that education, therefore,

is a process of living and

not a preparation for future

living.

[John Dewey 1897]

Examples of existing double relocatable classroom furniture layouts which accommodate individual, small group and large group activities

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New models >Creative learning

OPPORTUNITY:To integrate adjustable

display space into

relocatables. This includes

wall space along with hanging

ceiling display options.

Primary schools require more

display space.

OPPORTUNITY:To design the building as a

teaching tool with monitors

and technologies visible.

Students today take a great

interest in sustainability

which is now integrated into

curricula across Australia.

1] Glamorgan Primary School, Victoria2] Wiluna Remote Community School, WA3] Hen, Buranda Primary School, Qld 4] Markers, Currumbine Primary School, WA

3. See ‘Landscape integrations & connections’

Creativity and The New Learning Models [cont’d]Changes in society and the unknown future challenges and technologies facing learners have led to the need for what can be described as anywhere, anytime, ubiquitous learning (Cope & Kalantzis, 1999) and problem solving approaches. Twenty-first century learning theories emphasise the importance of authentic learning and providing students with opportunities and spaces to develop their creative and critical thinking skills (Newton & Fisher, 2009; McGuinness, 1999 & 2010). Learners will need to develop skills to analyse and respond to authentic situations through inquiry, imagination and innovation.

New pedagogies, including problem and inquiry-based learning approaches, require students to plan and organise their learning activities with their peers, to tackle big ideas, become technologically literate and develop cultural awareness.

A learning environment aided by learning technologies and rich in evocative images and objects, triggers active learning by allowing students to engage with what appeals to them. The community, the landscape and faraway places can be brought to the classroom enabling a rich cultural diversity to be explored. The acknowledgement and visual stimulus provided by the display of student work in this digital era is important, and display space is a high priority with educators, particularly those working in primary schools.

Integration & ConnectednessToday there is a general trend towards integration and ‘connectedness’ in schools:• Of subject areas: teachers now teach in teams, and subject areas are integrated into

project-based activities. Integrated curricula are designed for greater engagement and relevance to the external world. For young people to learn, they must first be engaged and this means putting the ‘fun’ and challenge back into learning.

• Within classrooms: new collaborative, shared, interconnected spaces that allow team teaching are being created with operable walls. Visual connection also provides a sense of connection within a space.

• On campus: the boundaries around classrooms are being blurred as learning opportunities on the entire school campus are being discovered. Learning spaces now extend onto decks adjacent to classrooms, and to covered outdoor learning areas, wetlands and kitchen gardens. Fluid movement between indoors and outdoors facilitates the use of these spaces for social, formal and informal learning.

• With the community: the boundaries around schools are also becoming blurred and there is much greater interaction with the community both through the involvement of parents and proactive initiatives on the part of teachers. Much of what is important with regard to learning happens outside the school – in the home and community.

• Into the landscape: whole school campuses are now being carefully planned to create cohesive, workable environments that meet the needs of current and future cohorts. New buildings, both permanent and temporary, are integrated into the existing school landscape. Relocatables are no longer just ‘stuck out the back’.3

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Multi-unit Configurations: Hubs & Learning communitiesIn many cases, such as in remote areas or following a natural disaster, relocatables will be clustered or co-located to create entire schools. In other cases, they will be used to create ‘Learning Communities’ or hubs for large student cohorts and their teaching team. A Year 9 home centre for 250 students and staff, for example, might comprise five double classroom units an associated covered outdoor learning area, a shared learning space, a withdrawal space, toilets, and a shared resource area.

Learning communities or neighbourhoods should be holistic, democratic and convivial environments comprised of multiple, purposefully designed learning settings. A balance must be attained between purposeful design and flexibility with special facilities such as wet areas, performance space and ICT integrated (Featherston 2010).

Indoor Outdoor Connections4

Educators around Australia are asking for better connections between indoor and outdoor spaces. As children learn through their senses, they need to interact with their environment through exploration and experimentation on a physical, social and cultural level.

A primary school in metropolitan Queensland uses a kitchen garden adjacent to classrooms to teach students about food plants and how to grow them, nutrition, the seasons and natural cycles. Students also run a small kitchen garden shop where parents can buy fresh produce and the students apply maths, accounting and commerce.

David Suzuki says that the biggest thing children need today is to reconnect with nature (2009). This is especially important in a world where the vast majority of people live in cities. A growing body of research links mental, physical and spiritual health directly to our association with nature (Louv 2008). Concerns around childhood obesity, nature deficit disorder, awareness of the relationship between wellbeing, the ability to learn and

environmental health, underpin the importance of indoor outdoor connections in schools.

OPPORTUNITY:To design relocatables that

are readily co-locatable.

...and ease of connection

with the exterior so you

could easily run activities

outside, or inside and

outside concurrently. I teach

a variety of subjects and

I’ve often run activities

outside, but it’s a major

exercise to get everyone all

packed up and moved outside

in a traditional space. On a

stinking hot day, you may as

well be outside because there

is a bit of air circulation.[Educator, Metropolitan Victoria]

One of the reasons I want

to go to the new school is

because I heard there was

going to be a wetlands with

lots of frogs.

[Primary School Student, Regional Victoria]

We require spaces better

suited to different types of

activities - even within a

single period there might be

a 10 minute lecture then you

might group them or send some

to reading nooks. It would

be great to have a space

where you could divide the

time into different types of

activities to suit different

learning, kids and cohorts.

[Educator, Secondary School, Victoria]

4. See ‘Landscape integrations & connections’

OPPORTUNITY:To design relocatables that

can be integrated into

multiple school landscapes,

and different site and

climate conditions as they

are moved from one location

to another.

OPPORTUNITY:To facilitate the use of deep

verandas, covered decks or

walkways as extra classroom

space, break-out zones,

sheltered bag storage and

undercover social spaces in

harsh weather conditions.

Examples of existing multi-unit hubs

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Diversity >Embrace & include

Schools in northern Australia

have an indigenous cohort

of between 7-100% with an

average of 40-60%. The

indigenous cohort is the

largest growing cohort in NT

schools due to increasing

lifespan and attendance at

school. [Educator, NT]

Diversity & DifferenceAustralia has a multi-cultural population. Schools can have up to 80 different nationalities and associated language groups on one site. Some Australian states and territories also have a high indigenous population for whom English is a second or third language.

Learning environments must accommodate children from different cultures and language groups, different learning styles and with disabilities. Making a learning environment truly inclusive means designing to accommodate multiple developmental perspectives. These might include environments that are physically accessible, activity-based, sensory rich and developmentally appropriate and adaptable.

Learning spaces must also cater for different age and size cohorts. The size of furniture will alter according to the cohort using the space and this will affect the space available for circulation within a classroom. Older children are also heavier and as they move about, floors in the older relocatables tend to vibrate. This is both disturbing and affects the calibration of the interactive white boards.

Teacher Observations From a Remote Indigenous Middle School and a Metropolitan SchoolOur school is composed of prefabricated learning spaces recycled from elsewhere. The students all speak two languages along with variably functional English. Most of them have chronic, or acute ear infections, so acoustics are critical. If they can’t hear, they get distracted and distract others.

Some students live in prefabricated houses, but many others live in camps with no electricity or running water, which means that homework can be problematic. Teaching in the Middle School has specific issues. We decided to separate the genders to moderate ‘avoidance’ issues - who can or can’t be in the same room with whom according to kinship group. It also helps with shyness in front of the opposite gender at that age. Indigenous children tend to be more restless than other students; they can’t sit still for long periods, especially not in chairs, so we have created a curriculum with lots of movement, activities and mat time. They don’t like the air-conditioning and get cold very quickly as their metabolism is different to ours. We’ve found that they have strengths in art, music, sport and multimedia.

Our indigenous students find interactive multi-media highly engaging and are very creative with it. They are also naturally collaborative and will help each other learn, so we do a lot of group work.

[Educator, Remote Indigenous Middle School & Principal, Metropolitan Primary School, NT]

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1] Wiluna Remote Community School, WA2] Sandover Group, Homeland School, NT3] Soapy Bore, Homeland School, NT4] Flags representing the language groups at Arlparra Middle School, NT

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Furniture & FittingsFurniture is part of what Mary Featherston calls the ‘loose layer’ and can create an environment that is at once inviting, stimulating, safe, spacious, interactive, comfortable and healthy (2010). It is the layer that determines the personality and emotional attachment to the environment and affects its functionality. Furniture choice and layout is also critical in the design of purposeful spaces that support different types of learning (Featherston 2010).

Equipping learning spaces with soft floor coverings and domestic features such as kitchens, pantries and cupboards, can help make a school feel like a home. Wet areas are also important for science, art and nutrition/health. In northern Australia, refrigerators in classrooms are essential for school lunches in the heat of summer.

Children and adolescents are restless by nature, and studies have found that fidgeting and rocking on a chair are ways of stimulating brain activity and promoting concentration. Furniture that accommodates sitting needs, while not restricting or suppressing movement is essential. This is particularly relevant to highly active and indigenous children who find both chairs and long periods of inactivity extremely uncomfortable.

1] Kindergarten Kekec, Lubljana, Slovenia | Architect: Arhitektura Jure Kotnik | Photo: Miray Kambic2] University of Queensland | Wilson Architects3] Student art, Currumbine Primary School WA4] Wooranna Resource Centre, Victoria | Mary Featherston Design

On delivery, portables will

be refurbished but afterwards

it’s up to us to maintain

them. If we do work on them,

we make sure that whatever

we put in can be removed when

they go.

[Educator, growth corridor Victoria]

We can take our laptops

outside and everywhere. We

can work on the floor or on

couches or at tables.

[Secondary student, Metropolitan Victoria]

Personality >The loose layer

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The future >Quality & class

Today 8-18 year olds spend

on average 6 hours and 15

minutes per day in front of

screen media, and only 43

minutes in front of print

media. [Roberts, Foehr & Rideout, 2005]

Our staff is currently

skilling up to use the new

pedagogies in the new BER

spaces and we’d like to

have that reflected in the

portables.

[Educator, Metropolitan Victoria]

OPPORTUNITY:To integrate technology into

learning spaces so that it

is seamless and not just an

‘add-on’.

The Classroom of the Future: Technology & LearningTo anticipate what will happen in a building with a lifespan of many decades in this changing academic and technological environment is almost impossible. To discuss how to incorporate as much technological flexibility as possible in its design is a must. The degree of flexibility of the entire internal design of each learning space is critical.

The building technology should be a physical representation of a multi-level learning system that encourages creative thinking, reinforces intellectual and practical skill development, and supports multi-level communal discourse.

Supporting Technology-Rich Learning SpacesPhysical needs have been identified for technology-rich learning spaces that support collaborative, multidisciplinary and project-based teaching and learning. These needs include adequate space, adaptability, appropriate furniture, climate control, networking and electrical service, and adequate display and storage space.

Considerations:

• The needs for comfort and climate control (heating, ventilation and lighting) are heightened with the introduction of technology

• Technology should be thought of as a tool for learning. Therefore the physical environment should be designed to be adaptable for multiple activities

• The technology rich environment for learning is an active and social one. Students work together to assist one another with technical problems

• The physical setting needs to be agile enough to support different kinds of activities of short and long duration, planned and spontaneous, and group and individual.

Learning in the digital age has become an entirely different proposition to learning in the machine age. A child starting kindergarten now may not know how to spell their name, but will probably know how to surf the web. We must now create learning environments as adaptable and fluid as today’s technologically sophisticated learners. And, we must do this without knowing what sort of world these learners will face.

A 21st century classroom must have the capacity to link into learning opportunities beyond its four walls. One of the characteristics of the new technologies is their ability to link people across the globe. Many classes are doing just that. For example, one indigenous class in remote NT is communicating with a class in Mexico.

New technology brings new teaching and learning opportunities, so new learning environments must allow teachers to modify their methods and environments as they embrace the opportunities provided. Today’s reality must not limit tomorrow’s possibilities.

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1] College “L’Esplanade”, Begnins, Switzerland Architect: Pascal de Benoit & Martin Wagner Architectes SA | Photo: Pascal de Benoit2] Geelong Grammar School, Victoria | Mary Featherston Design3] Lilley Centre, Brisbane | Wilson Architects

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Lingering Perceptions About Relocatable ClassroomsThere are still a lot of misconceptions around relocatable classrooms that hark back to our own childhood experiences of these often unsophisticated, utilitarian spaces. Many of these older models have been replaced under the BER scheme; however enough of them are still in use for the associated stigma to persist.

In my early years of teaching in country Victoria, it was

regularly five degrees first period in a portable, so we’d run

up the side road and back again just to warm up otherwise you

couldn’t do anything. [Educator, Rural Victoria]

We can’t deny the stigma that is attached to portables. We need

to work towards systems that mean that portables don’t look

like portables, be it through form, materials or rooflines –

design in general. [Infrastructure Manager, Victoria]

As a teacher, if you’re timetabled into a portable, then you

sigh and wish that you were going to be somewhere else. They’re

perceived as second rate. [Educator, Metropolitan Victoria]

Portables are an accepted part of the school landscape but

they are seen as second rate. The kids know this and are less

respectful of the space. [Educator, Rural Victoria]

OPPORTUNITY:To dispel those lingering

perceptions with quality,

functional and inspirational

relocatable learning spaces.

If they’re going to continue

to be an integral part of

the system, then they should

be designed to suit the new

pedagogies like the new

permanent buildings.

[Principal, Metropolitan Queensland]

Visually they’re not great to

look at and they’re not great

spaces to teach in because

they tend to be smaller

spaces than a standard

classroom, so you’ve got the

kids crammed in.

[Educator, Metropolitan Northern Territory]

As you grow in size and get a

lot of portables, you cannot

use the new pedagogies in

them and it has an impact on

teaching, and kids learning

culture as well. It’s a

major issue for growth

corridor schools. Around 50%

of our school is made up of

portables.

[Principal, Metropolitan Victoria]

All of their curriculum

is built around the new

pedagogies and the portables

don’t accommodate them, so

for part of the time, they

have to put their students

into spaces that don’t work

for their pedagogies.

[Principal, Metropolitan Victoria]

1] Decommissioned relocatables, Victoria

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Blue sky >What we’d like

Perceptions [cont’d]Fortunately the situation has changed for the better. New models have been better received with reservation:

People like them on the

whole. Acoustically they’re

good and they’re comfortable

to teach in. They have air-

conditioning, heating, good

display walls and interactive

white boards. The spaces are

a good size and they’re wired

for ICT. They can be arranged

for new or old pedagogies.

The acoustics affect the

[internal] configuration. How

portables are connected can

be badly done.

[Educator, Metropolitan Victoria]

The new relocatables have a smart roof system, double glazing,

automatic lights with a timer, louvre panels, night purging

systems and aircon and heating programmed to go on only outside

the 19-27 degree band – a whole range of initiatives that try

to reduce the reliance on air-conditioning.

[Infrastructure Manager, Victoria]

The negative feedback you’re getting from educators suggests

they’re probably talking about the older styles, and if I had

enough money I would remove and replace them.

[Infrastructure Manager, Victoria]

What Educators & Students Want: Research ThemesWhen surveyed about priorities, educators around Australia chose good acoustics as the overall top priority out of 40 variables. Other high priorities were thermal comfort, natural light, glare control, air quality and internal display and storage space.

The following diagram summarises key themes from research conducted in both primary and secondary schools in five states and territories around Australia. A mix of metropolitan, regional and remote schools were surveyed.

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1] El Porvenir Kindergarten, Bogota | Architect & Photographer: Mazzanti Arquitectos2] & 4] College “L’Esplanade”, Begnins, Switzerland | Architect: Pascal de Benoit & Martin Wagner Architectes SA | Photo: Pascal de Benoit3] Kita Taka-Tuka-Land Kindergarten, Berlin, Germany | Architect: Susanne Hofmann Architects/Baupiloten | Photo: Jan Bitter

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Principal Educator Student

Good acoustics

Wet area for art, science & kitchen

Lots of display space for student work

Movable storage space for equipment

Operable acoustic walls

Single power switch for all

services

Minimal glare

Bright, clean coloursEasily moved

furniture

Not too hot, not too cold

Views of the trees & garden Fresh airHomey, comfortable place

Bright colours Natural light

More laptops

Quiet so you can concentrate

Beanbags

Easily co-locatable

Secure

Well-designed quality look

Sustainable

Good for team teaching

Non-institutional look & feel

Low maintenance surfaces

All students must be visible:

duty of care!

Comfortable chairs

Operable windows

ICT integrated

More powerpoints

WHAT WE’D REALLY LIKE

Easy access to covered outdoor learning areas

Minimal disruption

to site

Double storey for

small sites

Fast installation

Low operating costLow maintenance

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CURRENT SHORTCOMINGS*

Poor acoustics

Different models, shapes & sizes

Not easy to co-locate relocatables into learning communities or hubsThermal discomfort: too hot or coldNot enough space to easily rearrange furniture for group & individual work & still circulate easilyNot enough display spaceNot enough storage spaceLimited or no bag storageFloors vibrateLittle or no easy access to outdoorsGlare affects projectors and interactive white boardsNot easy to reconfigure internal layoutsFixed front of classroomVariable integration of ICTAccess to powerpoints is limitingNot enough powerpointsRectangular or awkward shapes reduce adaptabilityMany have no wet areasSecurity - easier to break into & often hidden at the back of the schoolInstitutional feel to classroomsPoor ventilation and stuffinessCovered walkways or verandas too narrow for weather protection and ease of circulationOperable walls are not acoustically sound & often not easy to use

* These comments apply to a vast array

of vintages and models in very different

situations around Australia

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User experience >A typical day

1] Class, Wiluna Remote Community School, WA2] McKinnon Primary School, Victoria3] Covered walkway/deck, Greenslopes Primary School, Qld4] Student art, Currumbine Primary School, WA5] Gymnasium Wall, Wiluna, WA6] Mural, Larrakeyah Primary School, NT

A Typical Secondary Class From a Teacher’s Perspective Might run Like This...*It’s the last class for the day. As the previous class spilled noisily out into the corridor, I walked into the classroom and started loading up my data. On winter days like today, the rooms can get stuffy by the end of the day, and this one was very stuffy and chilly due to lack of insulation. I teach geography and climate change and we talk about opening windows or turning off lights and the kids try to do that, but they can’t because the windows have all been screwed shut for security reasons.

My students were starting to drift in, so it was noisy and I’d just realised that a previous teacher had changed all the settings on the data projector. It took me another five minutes to readjust them by which time the full class had arrived and were milling around restlessly complaining about the stuffy room. The class had been set up in lecture mode and I was going to start with a group activity, so I asked the students to reorganise the furniture to suit groups of five. Fortunately the furniture is light and easy to move around. While they were doing this, I wheeled the storage cupboard and interactive white board out of the way. Sometimes managing the environment (physical and technological) can become a dominant issue at the start of a class and it takes up valuable time.

We finally managed to get comfortable and I started the class. I’d planned an activity that had a component of outdoor work, but that was impossible with the rainy weather and lack of outdoor covered space, so I switched to Plan B. And of course we had issues with a number of computers being down - meaning that I had to assign the ‘computer work’ as homework instead of doing it collaboratively in class. It can get frustrating having to redesign lessons at the drop of a hat due to conditions in the classroom. I like to move around during my classes, so I was annoyed at having been scheduled in an old relocatable classroom which is smaller and doesn’t have enough space to move comfortably amongst the groups of desks and students. They must have been designed with primary school aged students in mind. Many of my Year 9s are quite ‘big boys’. Just as we settled into a quiet period of reflection on a particular issue, the class next door started a video with the

volume quite high. The walls between the double classrooms are not acoustically insulated so it was very disturbing.

At the end of the class and day, the students raced out of the door. I was the last teacher in the Year 9 Home Centre that day, so I dutifully went around to all six classrooms, the planning room and staff room to make sure that the heating, equipment and lights had been switched off. Oh for a single power switch!

* Compiled from interviews with three teachers in a learning hub composed entirely of older style relocatables in metropolitan Victoria

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Dewey, J. (1897) My Pedagogic Creed. School Journal 54 (January) pp 77-80

Featherston, M. (2010) Talking Spaces 2 Symposium Collation. Melbourne, October 2010. The University of Melbourne: http://www.abp.unimelb.edu.au/research/funded/dissolving-barriers/

Gardner, H. (1993) Frames of mind: the theory of multiple intelligences. New York. Basic Books

Gardner, H. (2007) Five Minds for the Future. Harvard Business School Press. Cambridge, MA.

Hill, P. & Russell, J. (1999) Systematic, whole-school reform in the middle years. National Middle Years of Schooling Conference, March 1999. Melbourne University, Centre for Applied Educational Research, University of Melbourne

Louv, R. (2008) Last Child in the Woods. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Martin, J. (2005) in Learning Environments in Tertiary Education. A report on the proceedings of two seminars. Kenn Fisher, (Ed), Brisbane & Christchurch. Tertiary Educational Facility Manager’s Association of Australia (TEFMA). http://www.tefma.com/publications/publications-overview

References >Further reading

McGuinness, C. (1999) From Thinking Skills to Thinking Classrooms. http://www.sustainablethinkingclassrooms.qub.ac.ukDFEE_Brief_115.pdf

McGuinness, C. (2010) Thinking and Metacognition video. The Journey to Excellence series HMle. Improving Scottish Education. http://www.journeytoexcellence.org.uk/videos/expertspeakers/metacognitioncarolmcguinness.asp

Montessori, M. (1914) Spontaneous Activity in Education. New York: Schocken Books

Montessori, M. (1947) A New World and Education. A. Gnana Prakasam (Ed), AMI Ceylon

Moore, Gary T. & Lackney, Jeffery A. (1994) Educational Facilities for the Twenty-First Century: Research Analysis and Design Patterns. Publications in Architecture and Urban Planning. Milwaukee: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Newton, C. (2011) Innovative learning spaces. Artichoke 35. Design for Learning, pp 48-49

Newton, C. & Fisher, K. (Eds) (2009) Take 8 Learning Spaces. Australian Institute of Architects, Australian Capital Territory

OWP/P Architects, VS Furniture, Bruce Mau Design (2009) The Third Teacher. Canada

Roberts, Foehr & Rideout (2005) Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 year olds. www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/Generation-M-Media-in-the-Lives-of-8-18-Year-olds-Report.pdf

Robinson, K. Sir (2009) The Creativity Challenge (Interview). The Third Teacher. OWP/P Architects, VS Furniture, Bruce Mau Design. Canada

Suzuki, D. (2009) Reconnecting Schools and Nature (Interview). The Third Teacher. OWP/P Architects, VS Furniture, Bruce Mau Design. Canada

Waldecker, M. (2006-2008) American School & University: Creating Positive, High Performance Learning Environments. KI Education. http://www.kieducation.com/issues.aspx?ar=86

1] Play equipment, Wiluna Remote Community School, WA2] Kitchen garden beds, Comet Bay Primary School, WA3] Bite-tables, Marymede College, Victoria4] Classroom, Buranda Primary School, Qld

1 2 3

Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST). The impact of school infrastructure on student outcomes and behaviour. Rubida Research Pty Ltd. http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/school_education/publications_resources/schooling_issues_digest/schooling_issues_digest_building

Cope, W. & Kalantzis, M. (1999) Melbourne: Victorian Schools Innovation Commission

Department of Education and Early Childhood Development publications:

A] Principles of Learning and Teaching http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingprinciples/principles/default.htm

B] Research and Innovation http://www.education.vic.gov.au/researchinnovation/lpd/resources.htm

C] Pedagogy and Space & Transforming the Learning Experience. http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/teachlearn/innovation/lpd/spacesbrochure.pdf

Designshare: Design for the Future of Learning. | Recent publications. http://www.designshare.com/index.php/articles/list-only

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